Coffee can prevent ringing sound in ears or tinnitus

A new study reveals that caffeine intake from drinking coffee can help prevent the ringing sounds we hear, also known as tinnitus.

HealthDay News notes that being a coffee lover could possibly mean good news for the ears. A new study, according to the American Journal of Medicine, revealed that women who consumed higher levels of caffeine were least likely to have tinnitus, the illusion of a steady ringing sound in the ear. There were 65,000 American women in the study between the ages of 30 and 44. These women did not have tinnitus in 1991 and were followed for the next 18 years. In that period of time, there were 5,300 instances of tinnitus amongst the females.

The women who consumed less than 150mg of caffeine or roughly one and a half 8-ounce cups of coffee were 15 percent more likely to develop this condition when compared to the women who consumed between 450-599mg of caffeine a day, the investigators of the study revealed. The study also reports that the majority of the caffeine consumed by the women was from coffee.

According to Daily Digest News, tinnitus is explained as the sensation of a buzzing sound in the ear without there actually being an external sound from the environment. There are many instances in which tinnitus can occur, such as from disturbances inside the ear including damaged cilia or hair on the inner ear's auditory cells, or even because of a carotid artery or jugular vein turbulence. Tinnitus can also be caused by problems with the auditory pathways in the brain or temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Tinnitus, however, is not a serious condition and affects 20 percent of the American population, especially females.

Study authors said that no conclusions could be made regarding cause and effect of caffeine on the symptoms of tinnitus without further research.